In modern agriculture, the pursuit of high yields has led to environmental imbalances and chemical pollution, compromising food quality and ecosystem health. With a 60% surge in global food demand by 2050, the need for sustainable farming practices is critical. Biostimulants, while promising, exhibit limitations in optimizing crop management, restricted yields, and single functionality, providing a narrow scope of functionalities. Ficosterra introduces MareTech, a groundbreaking biostimulant technology blending seaweed extracts and microorganisms. The synergy of specific microorganisms (probiotics) and algae (prebiotics) multiplies microbial colonies by 10^3, optimizing nutrient accessibility. It diminishes chemical nitrogen inputs, boosting nutrient availability and soil health while reducing fertilization needs. MareTech significantly reduces carbon footprints and increases crop productivity by up to 30%. Its cost-effectiveness, organic nature, and broad-spectrum action mark it as a transformative solution, fostering phosphorus availability and stimulating essential plant compounds. In response to stringent European directives towards eco-conscious agricultural practices, MareTech stands as a unique solution, in harmony with initiatives like the European Green Deal and Farm to Fork Strategy aiming to reduce fertilizer use by 20% and boost organic farming to 25% by 2030. Ficosterra’s endeavor aligns with worldwide agricultural objectives, offering MareTech as a transformative solution. Its societal, environmental, and economic impacts are promising, reducing fertilization usage by 30% and greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. Seeking EIC Accelerator support, Ficosterra aims to scale MareTech, optimize formulations, conduct field tests, refine scaling processes, and secure certifications for commercialization. Leveraging investments and successful product launches, Ficosterra anticipates seamless market readiness for MareTech biostimulants.

Population without access to electricity is set to increase again in 2020 after 6 years of decline in Africa. The number of people gaining access to electricity in Africa has increased greatly: the number of people without access to electricity dropped from almost 860 million in 2018 to 770 million in 2019, a record low in recent years . Nonetheless, past progress is being reversed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to tackle this, the present proposal will demonstrate innovative, reliable and adapted sustainable energy solutions based on the valorization of biomass wastes from agriculture and the food industry through biomass gasification. REFFECT AFRICA will adapt and optimize these technologies to a wide variety of biomass wastes: olive mill residues, almond hulls and husks, millet, rice, sorghum or peanut wastes and sugarcane bagasse, among others locally available. Three full- scale demonstrators will be built in Morocco, Ghana and South Africa to consider both urbanized and rural contexts in Africa, on- and off-grid solutions, as well as different socio-economic backgrounds. The project will carry out comprehensive LCA and LCC of each supply chain and will consider the climate adaptation and mitigation potential of this technology compared to other technologies and solutions in the African social, economic and environmental contexts. REFFECT AFRICA will tackle the development of renewable energy sources, providing solutions for on-grid and off-grid communities, and their integration into the existing energy system. It will consider the generation of renewable energy, the transmission, and the use of storage systems.With the aim to closing all water- energy-food links, the project will work on obtaining biochar from the gasifier, and will be improved to provide a valuable fertilizer to local farmers. The demonstrators will include a robust but reliable water laboratory to provide their location with basic but often lacking testing services.